Food Holidays & Occasions Christmas 12 Showstopping Prime Rib Roasts to Make for Christmas Choose a tender, juicy meat for your holiday centerpiece. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2024 Close Photo: Cara Cormack If you're looking for a main course to anchor your holiday menu, look no further than a Christmas prime rib roast. The tender, juicy roast will not only be the most impressive (and delicious) thing on the table, but it's also easy to make. These recipes are some of our favorite showstopping savory delights, including Salt and Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib with Sage Jus, Garlic-Butter Rib Roast, and the classic Standing Rib Roast of Beef. Read on to host a flawless prime rib Christmas dinner. 01 of 12 Garlic-Butter Rib Roast Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This gorgeous rib roast owes its incredible flavor to a compound butter made with garlic, anchovies, herbs, and shallot. Half gets slathered on the meat before it goes into the oven; the other half is rolled into a log, chilled, and then cut into medallions to serve with each slice of beef. Get the Recipe 02 of 12 Sea Salt Rib Roast Victor Protasio Seasoned with flaky Maldon sea salt and sel gris, this grand rib roast is served with a creamy caramelized morel mushroom gravy spiked with sherry vinegar. Get the Recipe 03 of 12 Standing Rib Roast of Beef Cara Cormack Bruce Aidells' easy standing rib roast recipe uses an adaptation of the classic English approach to a beef roast. It's a perfect centerpiece for a British-style Sunday lunch, as a Christmas roast, or any celebration or holiday meal. Get the Recipe 04 of 12 Three-Ingredient Prime Rib Roast © Con Poulos Chef Ryan Farr blends finely ground coffee and a touch of vanilla bean with salt and pepper to make an earthy rub for his prime rib roast. He lets the meat stand for half an hour after applying the mixture; alternatively, you can refrigerate the rubbed roast overnight and bring it to room temperature before popping it in the oven. Get the Recipe 05 of 12 Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib Roast © Christina Holmes Chef Marcela Valladolid coats prime rib with a mix of soy sauce, ground chile, garlic, and peppercorns, which forms a peppery crust around the juicy meat. Get the Recipe 06 of 12 Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Cream © Jonny Valiant What's the secret to this gorgeous Christmas prime rib? Chef Michael Tusk bastes it with a fragrant garlic-thyme butter before roasting it in the oven. Get the Recipe 07 of 12 Prime Rib with Sour Cherry Conserva, Truffle, and Chocolate Bobby Fisher 2017 F&W Best New Chef Angie Mar is a legend with meat, like this enormous, completely fabulous dry-aged beef rib roast. Her trick is to take the meat out of the oven for 30 minutes during its overall cooking time, yielding an evenly cooked, perfectly juicy prime rib roast. Get the Recipe 08 of 12 Rosemary-Pepper Beef Rib Roast with Porcini Jus © John Kernick In this recipe from the late renowned chef Floyd Cardoz, beef rib roast is seared in a preheated pan in the oven, which saves stove space and helps the meat cook more quickly — a total plus when preparing a holiday meal. Get the Recipe 09 of 12 Beef Rib Roast Con Poulos Butcher Jocelyn Guest chills her salted rib roast in the fridge overnight to amp up its terrific flavor. She serves it with a sophisticated gravy made from shallots, capers, Cognac, beef stock, cream, and the pan juices, which comes together while the roast rests. Get the Recipe 10 of 12 Salt and Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib with Sage Jus © Frances Janisch Chef Michael Mina's exquisite prime rib requires just 45 minutes of active work time — and that's mostly spent making the accompanying jus after the meat has finished roasting. "The great thing about doing a whole rib roast is that you don't have to concentrate," he says. "Put it in the oven and then you can focus on all the dishes that go along with it." Get the Recipe 11 of 12 Vodka-Marinated Rib Roast Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Here, chef Jeremiah Tower makes a vodka marinade to tenderize the meat; the prime rib is salted before cooking to develop flavor and a crust. He begins roasting at a high temperature to sear the exterior, then turns the temperature down to produce a succulent interior. Get the Recipe 12 of 12 Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib Roast with Mushroom-Armagnac Sauce © Tina Rupp 2004 F&W Best New Chef Melissa Perello keeps prime rib extra juicy by having the butcher leave the fat cap on before tying the beef and roasting everything in a bath of butter. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit